CCT on Egypt: A Pastoral Letter to All Christians and People of Good Will

#Egypt

Grace and peace be to you, in the name of our Lord and Savior!

We write to you as leaders of Christian Churches Together in the USA. During the last three weeks of political unrest in Egypt, we have witnessed with great concern the escalation of violence. Hundreds of lives have been lost because of this violence. As followers of the Prince of Peace, we mourn from afar the lost of lives and pray that peace be restored.

In a more particular way, we are concerned for the ways in which this violence has affected the very lives of Christians in Egypt. Different news sources have reported how Christians have been the object of targeted violence because of their faith. These same sources have also reported how in many instances people of other faiths (particularly Islam) have risked their own lives to protect their Christian neighbors. We give thanks to God for those who have risked their lives to offer protection. We lament the violence against our brothers and sisters in Egypt.

We raise to our God the following prayer from the Coptic tradition:

“Make us all worthy, O our Master, to partake, of your holies unto the purification of our souls, our bodies and our spirits. That we may become one body and one spirit, and may have a share and an inheritance with all the saints who have pleased you since the beginning. Remember, O Lord, the peace of your one, only, holy, catholic and apostolic church.”

We make an appeal to the U.S. government and other world political powers to actively seek, together with the people of Egypt, a prompt solution to this political crisis. But even more, we appeal to all Christians and people of good will to unite in prayer for the safety of followers of Christ and for peace in Egypt.

Kyrie Eleison, Lord have mercy!

Respectfully yours,

Rev. Stephen Thurston – Moderator
President Historic Black Family
National Baptist Convention, USA

Bishop Denis Madden
President Catholic Family
Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
President Orthodox Family
Armenian Orthodox Church America                                

Rev. Gary Walter – President
Evangelical/Pentecostal Family
Evangelical Covenant Church

Ms. Wendy McFadden
President Historic Protestant Family
Church of the Brethren

Rev. Carlos L. Malavé
Executive Director CCT